Agricultural tillage device

ABSTRACT

An agricultural implement for tilling at least a strip of soil to be planted includes a tillage device for penetrating and tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residue upwardly, and a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline of the strip of soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation located rearwardly of the tillage device and positioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. Multiple tines mounted on the depth control device extend laterally away from the depth control device toward the centerline to intercept a portion of the soil and residue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. The tines are attached to the depth control device only at one end of each tine, and the free ends of the tines terminate laterally short of the centerline and vertically between the elevations of the upper and lower edges of the depth control device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/178,809, filed Jul. 24, 2008, which claims the benefit of U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 60/961,726, filed Jul. 24, 2007, bothof which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in theirentireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to agricultural implements and, moreparticularly, to agricultural devices for clearing and tilling the soil,and, if desired, simultaneously fertilizing the soil.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, an agricultural implement for tilling at least astrip of soil to be planted includes a tillage device for penetratingand tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residue upwardly,and a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline of thestrip of soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation locatedrearwardly of the tillage device and positioned to intercept soil andresidue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. Multiple tines mountedon the depth control device extend laterally away from the depth controldevice toward the centerline to intercept a portion of the soil andresidue displaced upwardly by the tillage device. The tines are attachedto the depth control device only at one end of each tine, and the freeends of the tines terminate laterally short of the centerline andvertically between the elevations of the upper and lower edges of thedepth control device. In one implementation, the free ends of the tinesare located radially inwardly from the other ends of the tines.

The coulter wheels and the depth control device may carried on a commonframe so that all of the axes of rotation are fixed relative to eachother. The depth control device may be a gauge wheel.

In another implementation, a second depth control device is mountedalongside or to some extent rearwardly of the axis of rotation of thefirst depth control device and on the opposite side of the tilled strip.Multiple tines extend horizontally away from the inboard surface of thesecond depth control device over a portion of the tilled strip with thefree ends of the tines terminating laterally short of the centerline andvertically between the elevations of the upper and lower edges of thesecond depth control device. The free ends of the tines are preferablylocated radially inwardly from the other ends of the tines.

In one particular implementation, an elongated, arched arm is attachedat one end to the frame for the tillage device and at the other end tothe depth control device. The arched shape of the arm increases theclearance for mud buildup between the depth control device and thetillage device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention may best be understood by reference to the followingdescription taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of an agricultural implement embodying theinvention.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation taken from the left-hand end of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a perspective of the swirl device included in the modifiedembodiment of FIGS. 1-3.

FIG. 5 is a side elevation of the swirl device of FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is an end elevation of the swirl device of FIG. 4.

FIG. 7 is a side elevation of a modified embodiment.

FIG. 8 is an end elevation taken from the left-hand end of FIG. 7.

FIG. 9 is a top plan view of the modified embodiment shown in FIG. 7.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENTS

Although the invention will be described in connection with certainpreferred embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is notlimited to those particular embodiments. On the contrary, the inventionis intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalentarrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

Turning now to the drawings, the illustrative implement includes aleading residue-clearing sub-assembly 10 followed by a trailing tillagesub-assembly 11. Both sub-assemblies 10 and 11 are carried by a commonelongated hollow frame 12 attached to the rear end of a four-bar linkageassembly 13, which in turn is attached to front frame 14 adapted to beconnected to the tool bar of a tractor. Because both sub-assemblies 10and 11 are carried by the same frame 12, the relative relationship ofall the components of the two sub-assemblies 10 and 11 remains fixed sothat they maintain a consistent set of dynamic properties governed bytheir relative sizes and positions rather than just the individualproperties of the individual components.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,644,224, the residue-clearingsub-assembly 10 comprises a coulter wheel 20 flanked by a pair oftoothed wheels 21 and 22 overlapping a rear edge portion of the coulterwheel 20. The coulter wheel 20 cuts through the residue on the soil,such as stalks from a previous year's planting, and cuts a shallow slitin the soil. The trailing toothed residue-clearing wheels 21 and 22 thenkick the cut residue off to opposite sides of the slit cut by the wheel20, thus clearing a row for planting, while at the same time cleaningthe coulter wheel 20. To this end, the front edges of the toothed wheels21 and 22 are tilted inwardly toward the vertical plane of the coulterwheel 20 to assist in cleaning the coulter wheel, and the lower edgesare tilted outwardly to assist in clearing the row to be planted. Thisarrangement is particularly well suited for strip tilling, where thestrip cleared for planting is typically only about 10 inches of the30-inch center-to-center spacing between planting rows.

The coulter wheel 20 and the two toothed wheels 21 and 22 are eachjournaled on a separate arm fastened rigidly to the frame 12, supportedin such a way that, viewing a rear elevation, no frame member lies in ahorizontal plane between the two coulter wheels in the sub-assembly 11(described below). Thus, the hub assembly 20 a of the coulter wheel ismounted on the lower end of an L-shaped arm 23 which is rigidly attachedat its upper, rear end to the frame 12, and the hub assemblies 21 a and22 a of the toothed wheels 21 and 22 are mounted on the lower ends of apair of mounting arms rigidly attached to the frame 12. With thisarrangement, the wheels 20-22 are all free to rotate relative to eachother, but the relationship of their axes of rotation remains fixed.

The illustrative tillage device 11 comprises a pair of coulter wheels 30and 31 which are offset from each other both laterally and fore and aft.The rear edges of the coulter wheels 30 and 31 are tilted inwardlytoward the slit cut by the coulter wheel 20, and the lower edges aretilted outwardly. Thus, each of the coulter wheels 30 and 31 contactsthe soil at an angle in two planes, which causes each wheel to apply aforce to the soil that is upward and toward the center of the row,thereby displacing soil and residue upwardly. The aggregate effect thatthis angularity has on the soil is a turbulent swirling and mixing ofthe soil in the space between the two coulter wheels 30 and 31, whichincorporates air and residue into the soil, as well as breaking the soilinto finer pieces as well helping to mix fertilizer into the tilledsoil. Soil thrown laterally by the leading coulter wheel 30 is caught bythe coulter wheel 31 to retain that soil in the tilled area between thetwo coulter wheels 30 and 31 and to form a ridge for planting.

Alternative tillage devices, such as tillage shanks, may be used inplace of the coulter wheels.

A gauge wheel 32 (or multiple gauge wheels or other gauging device suchas a small belted caterpillar track or similar device) controls thedepth to which the entire unit penetrates into the soil, and alsointercepts soil and residue soil thrown upwardly and laterally by therear coulter wheel 31, to retain that soil in the strip being tilled.This prevents soil loss from the tilled area and facilitates thecreation of a ridge or berm, which is desirable for planting. Becausethe height of the axes of rotation of all the wheels 20-22 and 30-31 arefixed relative to the height of the axis of rotation of the gauge wheel32, the interaction among all the wheels remains essentially the same atall times.

The frame 12 is attached to the rear end of the four-bar linkage 13 thatis attached at its forward end to the frame 14 adapted to be connectedto the tool bar of a tractor or to a larger implement. The four-bar(sometimes referred to as “parallel-bar”) linkage 13 is a conventionaland well known linkage used in agricultural implements to permit theraising and lowering of tools attached thereto.

In the particular embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1-3, all the coulterwheels 20, and 31 are corrugated or fluted coulter wheels, but a widevariety of different coulter wheels are well known in the agriculturalindustry, and any of them may be used. The same is true of theresidue-clearing wheels 21 and 22—a wide variety of differentconfigurations of toothed wheels are well known in the agriculturalindustry for residue clearing, and any of them may be used.

It is typically desirable to apply fertilizer to the soil at the sametime the soil is tilled. For this purpose, the illustrative row unitincludes an optional fertilizer delivery tube 50 positioned to dischargedry fertilizer onto the soil in the space between the two coulter wheels30 and 31. Liquid fertilizer may be delivered through a second tube, ora conventional injector may be used to deliver liquid fertilizers underpressure if desired.

By using rotating elements to clear and till the soil and form the clearstrip or mound, the illustrative implement requires a relatively smallamount of tractor power to pull through the soil. Having all rotatingelements on a floating frame also permits the implement to operate inextremely rocky conditions by floating up and over rocks without liftingrocks to the surface where they interfere with field operations. Havingall rotating elements also eliminates the need for knife or shank shearbolt or trip/reset protection systems in rocky areas.

The illustrative row unit is urged downwardly against the soil by itsown weight. If it is desired to have the ability to increase thisdownward force, or to be able to adjust the force, a hydraulic orpneumatic cylinder and/or one or more springs may be added between theframe 12 and the linkage 13 or frame 14 to urge the frame 12 downwardlywith a controllable force. Such a hydraulic cylinder may also be used tolift the row unit off the ground for transport by a heavier, stronger,fixed-height frame that is also used to transport large quantities offertilizer for application via multiple residue-clearing and tillage rowunits. This hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder may be controlled to adjustthe downward force for different soil conditions such as is described inU.S. Pat. Nos. 5,709,271, 5,685,245 and 5,479,992.

To facilitate the use of the illustrative implement as an attachment toa larger implement such as a planter, an attachment plate may beprovided at the end of the frame 12 to serve as an interface with thelarger implement. A few bolts may then be used to attach the implementas a striptill row unit on a planter or other larger implement.Alternatively, a planter row unit may be attached to the rear of theframe 12 to plant seed directly in the cleared strip as a one-passtillage and planting machine.

The strip till operation may be completed in the fall after harvest ofthe previous crop or in the early spring prior to planting time. Theuser of the implement of this invention may gain further extendedseasonal use from his equipment by utilizing at least a portion theimplement as a carrier for a seeding unit in the spring. A seeding unitsuch as the John Deere “Max-Emerge” planter row unit, the seeding systemdescribed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,603,269, or other known seeding apparatusmay be removably attached to the frame 12 to provide a multi-use toolthat reduces the number of separate implements required on a farm.

A swirl device 100 is attached to the central portion of the inboardside of the gauge wheel 32, which is located rearwardly of the tillagedevice and positioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardlyby the tillage device. The swirl device 100 rotates with the gauge wheel32 and helps to control the distribution of soil moving toward the gaugewheel from the rearmost of the coulter wheels 20, 30 and 31. The swirldevice 100 intercepts a portion of the soil and residue thrown upwardlyand laterally toward the gauge wheel 32 by the coulter wheel 31 anddistributes the intercepted soil and residue across the tilled stripadjacent the gauge wheel. The swirl device 100 also helps to break upclumpy soil. Because the outside diameter of the swirl device 100 issmaller than the outside diameter of the gauge wheel 32, the swirldevice 100 operates above ground level and does not dig into the earth.Another benefit of the swirl device 100 is that it produces thoroughincorporation of fertilizer, especially dry fertilizer, with the soilwithin the worked strip where it is needed by the plants, rather thanleaving the fertilizer in concentrated ribbons. This allows theapplication of more fertilizer in the strip, possibly just ahead of theplanter by a few hours, without burning the seed, and may eliminate asecond trip to side dress. The total amount of fertilizer applied toproduce optimum crop yields may even be reduced. Fertilizer that is notthoroughly incorporated in the soil may be lost to the atmosphere orrunoff, which is costly and may pollute both ground water and surfacewater.

As can be seen in FIGS. 4-6, the swirl device 100 comprises multipletines 105 that extend laterally away from the surface of an annularvertical mounting base 106 attached to the gauge wheel 32 by multiplescrews passed through holes 107 in the base 106. The end of each tine105 that is attached to the base 106 is bent to form a short mountingtab 108 that is fastened to the mounting base 106 by welding. The mainbody portion of each tine 105 extends horizontally away from the surfaceof the mounting base 106 (see FIGS. 7-10), and vertically along a chordof the annular base 106, i.e., of the gauge wheel. In the illustrativeembodiment, six tines 105 are used, with adjacent tines overlapping eachother at an angle a of about 60° in a vertical plane (see FIG. 5), andeach tine 105 intersects the mounting base at an angle b of 40.5° (seeFIG. 6).

As can be seen in FIG. 3, the length of the tines 105 is such that thefree ends of the tines terminate laterally over the tilled strip, on thegauge wheel side of the centerline 109 of the tilled strip. Vertically,the free ends of all the tines are located between the elevations of theupper and lower edges of the gauge wheel 32 (or any other soil engagingdevice on which the swirl device is mounted). The free ends of the tinesare located radially inwardly from the inner ends of the tines attachedto the base 106, forming a conical envelope such as the 6° envelopedepicted in FIG. 6. It will be understood that different numbers oftines and/or different angles may be used in modified embodiments. Eachtine is preferably a flat metal strip or a round metal bar.

The swirl device 100 improves the uniformity of the distributed soil,and also permits a strip tilling operation to be carried out at higherspeeds, e.g., greater than 8 miles per hour in clumpy or otherwise wetsoil conditions common to spring use.

The two rear coulter blades 30 and 31 run at angles that have the effectof lifting the soil. As speed increases the unit creates a turbulentstream of soil moving through the center of the row unit. Because theunit is asymmetric, with the rear coulter blades 30 and 31 staggered,there is a tendency at times for the soil coming off the rear blade tobe shifted too far toward the gauge wheel 32 on the right hand side ofthe row. The swirl device 100 interacts with the upwardly displaced soilwhile it is in the air, not on the ground. Thus, the swirl 100 performstwo primary functions and one secondary function, i.e., it redirects theflow of soil moving through the center of the unit toward the other sideslightly, breaks up clods, and mixes fertilizer.

The helical pitch of the swirl tines has the effect of blowing the soillike a fan blade while the soil is in the air, pushing the soil towardthe center of the row and creating a better berm. It is not just thesoil coming of the rear blade that interacts with the swirl, but ratherthe whole mass flow moving through the center of the unit which islifted by both coulter blades 30 and 31.

Changing the pitch angle of the tines of the swirl device 100 changesthe proportion of blowing the soil one direction versus beating the soilinto smaller pieces. And in that way the desired angle can change withfairly minor design variations in the whole unit.

The embodiment of FIGS. 1-3 includes an elongated, arched arm 110extending rearwardly from the support frame of the middle coulter wheel30, for carrying the gauge wheel 32. This longer, arched arm 110increases the clearance for mud buildup between the gauge wheel 32 andthe coulter wheel 30. The arched shape also reduces interference withresidue flow when the row units are not in a staggered configuration.

FIGS. 7-9 illustrate a modified embodiment that utilizes a second gaugewheel 120 and a second swirl device 121, located on the opposite side ofthe side of the centerline 109 of the tilled strip from the gauge wheel32 and its swirl device 121. The axis of rotation of the second gaugewheel 120 and its swirl device 121 is positioned rearwardly of the axisof rotation of the gauge wheel 32 and its swirl device 121, with the twogauge wheels 32 and 120 partially overlapping in the direction ofmovement of the implement. Alternatively, the two wheels/swirls can bemounted directly side by side and still work well. In general,staggering the rolling devices allows material to flow through moreeasily.

The second swirl device 121 is mounted on the inboard side of the secondgauge wheel 120, so that the two swirl devices 100 and 121 are locatedon opposite sides of the centerline 109, with the rearmost swirl device121 receiving much of the soil and residue exiting from the first swirldevice 100. The second swirl device 121 interacts primarily with thevolume of soil and residue passing through the center of the unit whichis not affected by the first swirl device 100. In this way the secondswirl allows for a more complete job. Its effect becomes more pronouncedat higher speeds as the volume of material moving through the unitincreases. One of the important functions of the second gauge wheel 120and its swirl device 121 is to contain the flow of soil moving throughthe unit at high speed, preventing the soil from escaping the intendedtilled area. This dual arrangement produces additional turbulence in theflow of soil and residue, and results in even more uniform distributionof loosened soil and residue across the width of the tilled strip.

In FIGS. 7-9, all the elements that are common to the embodiment ofFIGS. 1-6 are identified by the same reference numerals used to identifythose elements in the first embodiment.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that the invention is notlimited to the details of the foregoing illustrated embodiments and thatthe present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof. The presentembodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects asillustrative and not restrictive, the scope of the invention beingindicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription, and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

The invention claimed is:
 1. An agricultural implement for tilling atleast a strip of soil to be planted, comprising a tillage device forpenetrating and tilling a strip of soil and displacing soil and residueupwardly, a depth control device laterally offset from the centerline ofsaid strip of soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotationlocated rearwardly of the trailing end of said tillage device andpositioned to intercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by saidtillage device, said depth control device having a soil-engaging surfacefor controlling the elevation of said implement, and multiple tinesmounted on said depth control device and extending laterally away fromonly one side of said depth control device toward said centerline tointercept a portion of the soil and residue displaced upwardly by saidtillage device, said tines being attached to said depth control deviceonly at one end of each tine with the attachment located radiallyinwardly from said soil-engaging surface of said depth control deviceand the free ends of said tines terminating laterally short of saidcenterline and vertically between the elevations of the upper and loweredges of said depth control device, whereby said tines remain entirelyabove the soil engaged by said depth control device as said depthcontrol device rotates.
 2. The agricultural implement of claim 1 inwhich said tillage device comprises first and second coulter wheels thatare offset from each other both laterally and fore and aft, said firstand second coulter wheels overlapping each other fore and aft with thetrailing edge of each of said first and second coulter wheels locatedcloser to the path of the other coulter wheel than the leading edge ofthe same coulter wheel.
 3. The agricultural implement of claim 2 whereinthe rearward edges of said first and second coulter wheels are tiltedinwardly, and the lower edges of said second and third coulter wheelsare tilted inwardly.
 4. The agricultural implement of claim 2 whichincludes a common frame carrying said first and second coulter wheels sothat said axes of rotation are fixed relative to each other.
 5. Theagricultural implement of claim 4 which includes a four-bar linkageattached to said frame.
 6. The agricultural implement of claim 1 inwhich the free ends of said tines are located radially inwardly from theother ends of said tines.
 7. The agricultural implement of claim 1 inwhich said depth control device is a gauge wheel, and each of said tinesextends vertically along a chord of said depth control device whenviewed in a side elevation of said depth control device from the freeends of said tines.
 8. The agricultural implement of claim 7 whichincludes an annular mounting base attached to the inboard side of saidgauge wheel, and a radially inner end portion of each tine is attachedto said mounting base.
 9. The agricultural implement of claim 8 in whicheach of said tines forms an acute angle with said annular mounting base.10. The agricultural implement of claim 1 in which each of said tines isa flat metal strip or a round metal bar.
 11. The agricultural implementof claim 1 in which adjacent tines overlap each other when viewed in aside elevation of said depth control device from the free ends of saidtines.
 12. The agricultural implement of claim 1 which includes a seconddepth control device mounted for rotation about an axis of rotationlocated rearwardly of the axis of rotation of said depth control deviceand said depth control devices are located on opposite sides of thetilled strip, and multiple tines mounted on said second depth controldevice and extending laterally away from said depth control devicetoward said centerline to intercept a portion of the soil and residuedisplaced upwardly by said tillage device, said tines on said seconddepth control device being attached to said second depth control deviceonly at one end of each tine, the free ends of said tines terminatinglaterally short of said centerline and vertically between the elevationsof the upper and lower edges of said second depth control device. 13.The agricultural implement of claim 3 which includes an elongated,arched arm attached at one end to the frame for said tillage device andat the other end to said depth control device, the arched shape of saidarm increasing the clearance for mud buildup between said tillage deviceand said depth control device.
 14. The agricultural implement of claim 3which includes a hydraulic or pneumatic cylinder or a spring urging saidframe downwardly toward the soil.
 15. The agricultural implement ofclaim 1 which includes a residue-clearing sub-assembly including arotatable coulter wheel and at least one toothed wheel mounted forrotation about an axis located rearwardly of the axis of rotation ofsaid coulter wheel, a forward portion of said toothed wheel overlappinga rear portion of said coulter wheel.
 16. A method of tilling soil to beplanted, comprising tilling at least a strip of the soil with a tillagedevice that penetrates and tills a strip of soil and displaces soil andresidue upwardly, controlling the depth of said tillage device with adepth control device laterally offset from the centerline of said stripof soil and mounted for rotation about an axis of rotation locatedrearwardly of the trailing end of said tillage device and positioned tointercept soil and residue displaced upwardly by said tillage device,said depth control device having a soil-engaging surface for controllingthe elevation of said implement, and intercepting a portion of the soiland residue displaced upwardly by said tillage device, with multipletines mounted on said depth control device and extending laterally awayfrom only one side of said depth control device toward said centerline,said tines being attached to said depth control device only at one endof each tine with the attachment located radially inwardly from saidsoil-engaging surface of said depth control device and the free ends ofsaid tines terminating laterally short of said centerline and verticallybetween the elevations of the upper and lower edges of said depthcontrol device, whereby said tines remain entirely above the soilengaged by said depth control device as said depth control devicerotates.
 17. The agricultural implement of claim 16 in which the freeends of said tines are located radially inwardly from the other ends ofsaid tines.
 18. The method of claim 16 which includes a frame for saidtillage device, and an elongated, arched arm attached at one end to saidand at the other end to said depth control device, the arched shape ofsaid arm increasing the clearance for mud buildup between said tillagedevice and said depth control device.
 19. The method of claim 16 inwhich said depth control device is a gauge wheel.
 20. The method ofclaim 16 in which adjacent tines overlap each other.